Father God, we humble ourselves before your mighty throne and honor your holy name. We thank you for your presence in our life. Lord, we know our tongue can enslave our minds and damage our hearts if we allow it. We repent from thoughtless actions that may harm others. We regret words spoken in anger and gossip. Please help us hold our tongue when we are about to speak without thinking. Lord, help us be slow to speak. May the words from our mouths speak with love, patience, kindness, and self-control. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.
There is one member of our body that can get us in a whole lot of trouble. We must be careful with words that roll off our tongues without being filtered by our hearts and censored by the brain. Most of the time, our thoughts are good thoughts for those who God calls, but it only takes a few uncensored words to cause conflict. So, we need to be innovative and feed our minds with gracious words so that what rolls off our tongue will be pleasing to the Lord. God is my witness that "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21, ESV). Do not deceive yourself, where words flow without restrictions; discord will eventually find a way into the conversation.
There is a reason the Prophet James says be quick to listen and slow to speak. The Word of God is very firm on this issue, so it is beneficial to our spirit to obey what the Word of God says. Believe me when I tell you, "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19, NASB). The more we talk, the more we open the door for words to walk out and offend someone. Too many people like to think, and some often say that if the listener gets offended, it is their problem. Well, that is not what the bible teaches. The Speaker must take some responsibility for what they say. That is why the bible says things like: be slow to speak, he who restrains his lips is wise, and you must accept the consequences of your words. Do not be deceived; the words that come out of your mouth are your responsibility. Be careful not to spit out offensive words because you cannot take them back. A tongue out of control can quickly turn on the owner and become the instrument of their destruction. There is scrutiny on everyone in our society, and people get upset about a minor little thing.
Practice being gracious! "What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so, you must accept the consequences of your words" (Prov. 18:21, GNT). The righteous person thinks before the tongue lashes out because they want to speak what is acceptable and appropriate to God and does no harm to their fellow human beings. However, the ungodly blurt out anything that comes to mind, not caring who they hurt because the main goal is to take control of the conversation and be the center of attention. A foolish person lays a trap for himself with the words he continuously fails to rebuke before they leave his mouth. "Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin" (Prov. 13:3, NIV). We all have two ears and one mouth, so one would think that common sense would tell us to take the opportunity to listen more than we talk. We find that this is not true! So, understand that a person who gains knowledge and turns it into wisdom can filter the words from the mouth. We have witnesses who know that the brain can think frivolous thoughts, so they advise us not to say everything that comes to mind. Add self-control to your faith. Do not believe that false doctrine that you cannot control your tongue.
The Truth is, we can control what comes out of our mouths. If we were unable to control our tongue, the Word of God would not say it is possible. It takes discipline, so read the Word. "It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:12, NIV). Follow God's Word. Even the world sees the advantage of few words. Take the Nike commercial that says, "Just say, NO"! How hard is that for someone walking with the Way and in the Truth to say "NO" or, better yet, say "YES" to what is righteous!
• No, I will not listen to obscenities, foolish talk, or crude jokes
• Yes, I will make every effort to ensure my words are helpful
• No, I will not use foul or abusive language
• Yes, I will only use words that edify Christ
If you believe you can say anything you want, you are not responsible for how it hurts your brother or your sister. You have read or heard that many false teachers have gone into the world preaching and teaching that we are only human and are not perfect; thus, seeking to convince us that human beings cannot control what they say and what they do. Believe me when I tell you that is a lie told by the enemies of God. Notice that they often credit the devil and the flesh for making them do what they do and say what they say.
So, I beg you to acknowledge the fact that we have free will, and with that free will, we make choices. You can choose to be out of control or exercise self-control. Bottom line: The Word of God teaches us to get rid of things like malice, deceit, envy, and slander and learn to hate things like pride, arrogance, and perverse talk. From that great cloud of witnesses, we knew that those who follow the desires of their flesh succumb to temptation and eventually trap themselves in their foolish lies and delusions. We have it on good authority that one cannot benefit from good while doing evil. It is good to donate to the needy, and it is evil to steal money and contribute to the needy. The donation does not cover the original sin. What you do may seem right in your eyes, but God, in His word, defined good and evil. Search your heart and allow the Spirit to intercede in times of doubt. The Word of God is my authority to say that we can rule our body. Scriptures say: "If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless, and he deceives himself" (James 1:26, CSB). This verse tells me that you can keep your tongue from speaking evil if you are religious.
Slow to speak means that we communicate with humility and patience, and we use the words not in haste but with care and precision. Drawing a line between listening and speaking is complex, and Jesus balanced speaking with listening by asking questions. Jesus would ask a question, then He would listen to the answer, and finally, He would talk. The model that Jesus set is one we should put into practice. Words have the power to wound the heart and bring the spirit low. We all have fallen victim to a verbal onslaught from time to time. People will say and do things impulsively in anger that they would not do otherwise. How many times have we felt attacked verbally and became defensive or angry? Do not be blinded by the Truth. You know as well as I do that getting angry, irritated, and emotional only makes a situation quickly escalate out of control. Do not throw gas on a fire that is already burning out of control. Humble yourself and be slow to speak. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Jesus is our mentor, and we strive to be more like Him. Learn how to control yourself in a disagreement with someone, so God can fully use you to build up His kingdom here on earth.
So, we say for your hearing and practice: "Whoever controls what he says is knowledgeable; anyone who has a calm spirit is a man of understanding" (Prov. 17:27, ISV). If anyone preaches any other doctrine, know that the Word of God says:
• Be quick to hear and slow to speak
• Guard your mouth and preserve your life
• Let no corrupting talk come out your mouth
• There is a time to be silent and a time to speak
• Let your speech always be gracious
• Death and life are in the power of the tongue
Praise God for His word. Every praise is for our God! No one can make me doubt His word. No matter what somebody says, when there is a conflict (I heard a preacher say): The Bible is right, and somebody is wrong.
Closing Prayer
We gathered here today in cyberspace to offer prayers and hear your Word. We fed on your Word and felt your Holy Spirit circling our fellowship and individual life. Now, we depart one from another and take your presence and power in our different homes. May the grace of God be with each of us. May the peace of God surround us. May the love of God flow through us and may His strength protect us from all hurt, harm, and danger. May the Word of God forever guide the life we live. Amen!
